By Stephen Nover
Rangers at Mariners Under 8 minus $1.05
Want to know why Kyle Gibson is having a great season, with the lowest ERA in the American League at 2.00?
Because this is the year I don’t have him on my AL Rotisserie team.
This is not the same Gibson, who posted ERA’s above 5.00 in three of the previous five seasons. Just when I give up on him and don’t even spend a $1 on him during the $1 end game of my auction, Gibson turns his career around by coming up with an effective cutter pitch to go with his slider. Improved mechanics and added confidence have all contributed to Gibson’s breakthrough season.
Gibson also has been helped by throwing at Globe Life Field which has turned into an excellent pitcher’s stadium. Now he takes the mound at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, another strong pitcher’s field.
The Mariners rank 29th in batting average. Seattle has four starters batting below .220 in their lineup.
It’s going to be quite a change for the Mariners traveling cross-country from playing in hitter-friendly Sahlen Field in Buffalo against the Blue Jays – where they scored a combined 16 runs the last two days – to coming home to spacious T-Mobile Park.
Seattle scored a combined four runs in its last two home games – and that was against the Rockies. This is far more indicative of the Mariners’ offense than their outburst in outlier Buffalo.
Almost always it takes two to make a total work. I believe Logan Gilbert will hold up his end for Seattle. During his last five starts he’s lived up to the hype of being the Mariners’ top pitching prospect with a 2.84 ERA and 0.95 WHIP during this span. He faces a below-average Texas offense that ranks 23rd in runs.
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